


the kids aren't alright

by orphan_account



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Episode: s03e21 Same As It Never Was, Family Feels, Gen, Time Travel, anyways dw the major character death will get Reversed, does it count as character death if it's a doomed timeline??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24966208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Donnie had never given the idea of time travel much consideration.It was horribly convoluted, and he had always thought of it as a half-baked conspiracy theory than anything. But things had changed since his fourteenth birthday. They'd grown, in more than the physical sense, and the absurdity of their lives had increased by a factor he hadn't considered possible.So when he opened his eyes to a ruined city and a one-armed brother, Donnie supposed he shouldn't be surprised that he'd been missing half a decade.[Or, what would happen if SAINW took place in the ROTTMNT verse.]
Relationships: Donatello & Leonardo & Michelangelo & April O'Neil & Raphael (TMNT)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 73





	1. blessed be the boys time can't capture

**Author's Note:**

> based off an idea from @porbletordle on tumblr! i saw their post and just went running with it ;;; 
> 
> also i just love the idea that leo & donnie would manipulate time and space respectively- its very much a twin thing lol

The plan had been simple enough. Get in, look around to make sure no one was taking advantage of the underground city’s weapons-filled hideout, and get out. Preferably with some pizza and/or new gear. 

But of course, Donnie thought to himself, things were never easy for radiation-mutated turtles with cool weapons. April was on a separate level, what with that witch-enchanted bat and all. He wasn't convinced that this wasn't some sort of set up yet, but he supposed he should be grateful he got to see this _beautifully_ aesthetic lair again.

“Aw man, why is it always the beefy mystic dudes that sneak up on us?!” Leo groaned between swipes of his sword, jumping back as one of the tiger mutants lunged forward with a roar. Donnie, preoccupied with his attacker, didn’t dignify the question with anything more than an exasperated eye-roll. Little brothers, it seemed, would never fail to surprise him.

Another couple of hits from his tech-bo and the goat mutant fell to the floor. Leo’s fell in turn, and the two brothers returned to a more defensive shell-to-shell formation as they watched the situation escalate. “Not cool, dude, not cool at all,” Leo mumbled, stretching his arm out with a small wince.  
  
Donnie spared Leo a deadpan look as another wave of enemies emerged. These guys looked even stronger, somehow, and had adorned colorful crystals to their respective chests. “I am literally the only one here without a magic weapon, Leo, so chill out for a bit with the complaining when we’re not—“ One of the mutants, this one a horned staff-wielder, growled and summoned fire from the tip of his weapon. “—I dunno, trying not to die?” Donnie finished, wondering who decided that mystical weapons should be a widespread phenomenon.

“Like you’re one to talk, Mister— AGH!” Leo’s quip was cut off by a pained yell, and Donnie spun around in time to see his little brother get slammed against a wall. His concern was rewarded by a hit to his battle shell, and he reluctantly returned to focusing on not getting his ass kicked.

April’s voice rung out among the chaotic backdrop of rolling thunder and battle cries. “Leo! Get away from him!” She charged forward, giving Donnie enough peace of mind not to activate one of his more dangerous protocols. That was only for desperate situations, and hell, he wasn’t too excited about messing up this already-precarious scenario.

He caught a glimpse of Leo pulling himself to his feet, making a pissed-off face at the rhino mutant that had rammed him. “You cut off my one-liner! Asshole.”

Mikey laughed gleefully as he swung down from one of the railings, roundhouse kicking the enemies swarming him as he did. He looked at ease despite the battle, and Donnie found himself jealous of his little brother's cheerfulness. Not that he would ever admit it, but still. “Leo swore! Leo swore! I’m telling Da— augh!” The sudden noise had Donnie’s heart dropping in his throat. He didn’t have to look to know that the endless barrage of attacks had knocked down Mikey, his short-range skills not enough to counter them.

“Mikey, get back,” Raph said, his voice low and rumbling in the way that Donnie knew meant he was entering Protective Big Brother mode. It wasn't a bad thing to see, considering that meant Mikey was covered, but it wasn't helping his slight concerns about them winning this thing.

Donnie activated the thrusters on one end of his tech-bo and slammed the flame wielding mutant over the head with it. He dragged his hands over his face once he made sure they weren’t getting back up any time soon. “Oh my god, I thought we were getting better at fighting for once, what is this.” His tone was still flat, but he knew his siblings and friend were fluent enough in deciphering his deadpan to see the stress behind it.

There was a loud thunk as Raph activated another round of that weird mystic shit and barreled some smaller foes into the wall. “C’mon bro, give us some slack! These dudes are, like, kinda level 9 baddies.” Donnie gave a long-suffering sigh and ran over to join his big brother. It was as much acceptance as he could show, not having enough breath to shoot back another one-liner about how they should be _totally_ be level 10 by this point.

He gritted his teeth and rolled to the side as an arrow came flying his way, noting with no small amount of concern how close it had gotten. Donnie spun his bo low on the ground and knocked a few of the smaller ones off their feet, jumping into the air to avoid yet another ranged attack. From the corner of his peripheral vision, he could see some of the mutants they’d knocked down earlier staggering back up to their feet. 

Another loud crash sounded from behind him, and he turned to see his biggest brother fall to the ground. Raph had been cornered by an unfairly-bulky opponent with huge brass knuckles attached to her clawed fingertips. Donnie could see by the way Raph was staggering, hand pressed to his forehead, that he’d have to cover his flank for a little while longer.

Shifting his weight back in a wider stance, he gathered another burst of energy before launching himself forward. He sliced his bo in a quick arc again and again. 

_Swish, swish, thunk. Swish, swish, thunk._

There was a harsh yank at the end of his bo, then, and he realized far too late that a hulking figure had grabbed the end of the weapon. There was an admittedly-terrifying howl and the wolf flung him end over end, slamming him shell-first into the concrete.

“Agh…” He muttered to himself, grateful for what was likely the ten millionth time that he had taken out the stronger battle shell for this fight. It was intact, though he’d be sore as hell tomorrow. Donnie forced his slightly-blurry gaze to focus on his surroundings. His name was being called out, a mild dose of panic coating Mikey’s words, but his attention was immediately caught by something different. 

His bo was lying a few feet away, cracked pieces of the outer layer scattered across the lair’s floor. The now-exposed wires were fizzling pitifully, and Donnie felt a distinct sense of dread shudder over him in waves. 

“Shit.” The word was all he could force out as he dragged himself to his feet. “April, Leo, you guys still here?” His voice was a little shaky, likely the result of having the wind knocked out of him, but he couldn’t spare the energy to go looking around for them right now.

April responded almost immediately, her cheery tone ringing out from somewhere above the railings. “‘Course man, we gotcha!” She dropped down from above, kicking one of the bird mutants in the stomach before hitting another over the head.

“Yeah Donald, have a little faith, will ya?” Leo retorted, glancing back to make sure his big brother was all in one piece before charging into the fray. The mild swell of annoyance Donnie felt at the unwanted nickname was a welcome change, and he gave a slightly-steadier exhale. He turned to glance at Raph and Mikey. He could tell the two were injured— Raph still looked unsteady on his feet, and Mikey's fall had left him covered in scrapes.

He prepared to run back to the place they were situated in, meaning to see if they could regroup in case they couldn't hold everyone off, but a high-pitched shriek froze him in his tracks before he could. 

April was struggling against a lean figure holding a dagger to her neck; fear and anger flashing in her gaze. Before Donnie could do anything, Leo charged forward with the blind sort of bravado that he only got when someone threatened his friends. April’s captor turned towards him with an unimpressed look and countered his attack, sending the blue-clad turtle to the ground with a resounding thump.

Dammit, _dammit._ Donnie’s anxiety only ramped up further as he confirmed that he was, in fact, the last one standing, and his prized weapon was lying on the ground in pieces. 

“Oh god, oh god..." He mumbled, not able to come up with any of his typical deadpan remarks. These guys had proven themselves to be tough, more intense than the five of them could handle working together, and he doubted he could buy his brothers and friend enough time to limp their way out of here with nothing but his fists.

“DONNIE!” April called out, her voice cutting through his quickly-spiraling thoughts. “Those magical weapons, remember? Ya never took yours!”

Donnie huffed, leaping back to avoid the reach of yet another flaming sword. He could see April out of the corner of his vision, and she looked worried. It confirmed his fears, seeing her like that. “That should not be our plan—“ A cat mutant swiped at him with a thin blade, grazing the flesh of his shoulder enough to sting on contact, and Donnie winced. “Ow, ok, maybe that’s a better idea than dying.” He didn’t often change his mind like this, having a stubbornness that was equal parts helpful and terrible, but there was a line that they had crossed a while ago.

He eyed the platform above that lead to the weapons room. It was too high to jump from here, but his battle shell’s flight mode was somehow still intact after his earlier stint with the wall. Donnie took a running start and activated the thrusters, landing with a forward roll and pulling himself to his feet.

And here he had thought things would never get this desperate, Donnie mused to himself. His feet pounded as he ran, making a steady _da-thump, da-thump_ against the floor. There was an outcry from behind him— clearly his not-so-grand Plan B wasn't too popular among his enemies.

The weapons room was sparse, raided by whatever mystics had found it since they’d last fought there. Uncannily enough, the hatchet-like blade was untouched, its spiky flail curled in a neat spiral. Donnie hesitated for a split second— he was still terrified of his tech becoming obsolete— but the image of everyone lying there injured steeled his resolve enough to grab it.

“This better work,” He grumbled, already climbing up the chute he had slid through moments prior. 

Donnie was greeted immediately by the none-too-welcome sight of the same gem-clad mutants swarming the area. From what he could see, April and his brother had managed to hold their ground for the time being.

He gripped the blade, testing its movements as he dropped down into the battlefield. “Hey! How about you pick on someone who has a weapon, yeah?” Donnie taunted. It was painful to use those awful Leo-style one-liners, but the angered yells he got in return were well worth it.

The heat of battle had always had a strangely dream-like quality to it for him. It was as though when things got desperate; when the roar of blood pumping through his veins drowned out his panic, that time would slow. Even if Donnie knew that the fourth dimension stopped for no one. For now, though, he took advantage of the strange haze of calm, dealing blow after blow with the unfamiliar weapon. It handled well, all things considered. It was light in a way strangely like his titanium-grade bo, and the slight imbalance from end to end made his swipes heavier and more damaging.

But then the exhaustion started setting in. He had been dreading it, praying that the adrenaline would be enough to tide them over long enough to escape. But as he stumbled back from yet another well-timed blow, Donnie could tell that Leo was too beat to generate a portal anytime soon.

Donnie breathed in the scent of sweat and rage, attempting to keep himself upright. “Do your thing already!” He hissed to the blade. “That’s _literally_ why I’m using you, against my better judgment I might add.” It, unfortunately enough, did not respond, and Donnie was left swiping and dodging and parrying past the point of fatigue.

One of the bulkier mutants, a pig with huge scars crisscrossing his face, slashed him across the cheek with an equally-bulky ax. Donnie was tumbling over before he could think to regain his footing. “Agh!”

“Shit…” April all but whispered. Donnie couldn’t see her face, but the waver of her tone spoke for itself. “Ra- Raph, dude, we gotta get out, gotta regroup or somethin’ like that before these guys take us down for good.”

Maybe it was that. The fact that April O’Neil, professional badass and best friend of Donnie and his brothers, was scared. They had had their misgivings with each other, sure— Donnie was a shitty friend sometimes and he knew it— but they had been through so much together. It was like seeing your big sister show weakness for the first time, realizing that she too was vulnerable to the cruelties of the world. 

And what a cruel world it was. 

His brothers, too. Donnie was used to being the second-oldest, taking on responsibility when Raph made a mistake or when Leo or Mikey were hurt, but this felt different. Like he was holding something more important on his shoulders, the fate of a more long-term battle than he could currently grasp.

“No.” Donnie’s response, a single word charged full of anger and fear for his brothers, his _family_ , cut though the silence like a knife. He clenched his fists and pulled himself to his feet, bracing himself against the blunt end of his blade.

(Later, Leo would tell him with barely-concealed amazement that his eyes had been glowing.)

He shifted his weight back, spinning the hatchet so it was perpendicular to his side, and leaped forward towards the crowd of mutants with a yell. Lifting the blade over his head, he barely noticed the surge of violet energy that was practically _engulfing_ him until the swing made contact.

There was a flash of light, painting his surroundings in a blinding white glow, and then there was nothing.


	2. maybe i bit off more than i could chew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For 3 minutes and 14 seconds, Donnie was certain that he was dead. 
> 
> As he floated in an inky void with nothing but his thoughts, he contemplated what exactly had led him to this point. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t exactly supposed to be, you know, sentient. Maybe it was the fact that his brothers couldn’t be satisfied with their sub-par training and had to decide that magic, of all things, was the solution.
> 
> He decided on blaming Leo after a moment’s consideration.

For 3 minutes and 14 seconds, Donnie was certain that he was dead. 

As he floated in an inky void with nothing but his thoughts, he contemplated what exactly had led him to this point. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t exactly supposed to be, you know, sentient. Maybe it was the fact that his brothers couldn’t be satisfied with their sub-par training and had to decide that magic, of all things, was the solution.

He decided on blaming Leo after a moment’s consideration. It was the easiest thing to do right now, and he doubted anyone would care about his self-reflective monologue.

At the fifteenth second, the darkness gave way, barely enough to catch his attention. There were faint reddish shadows and lights, blurry details of a scene that felt eerily familiar the more it sharpened. He squinted, reminded of the glasses he wore as a kid.

Donnie dragged himself from the abyss the slightest bit more, and then he was aware that he was lying in the lair. _Home._

He sat upright, groaning at the way his head spun from the sudden movement. This was their place; all dim lighting and haphazard organization, but it was no less empty than the void of unconsciousness had been. Donnie’s gaze flitted from corner to corner in search of someone— anyone. He’d even take one of the Foot Ninjas by this point.

“Raph?” He called out tentatively. His first assumption was that using that he’d conked himself out with the hatchet, but that was quickly eliminated as he saw said weapon lying a few feet away. “Leo?” The lair looked downright unused— covered in dust and more tattered than he remembered.

Grabbing onto the nearest wall for support, Donnie pulled himself to his feet. “Mikey? April?” His voice faded into the empty area once more and he sighed. Why couldn’t his family mysteriously disappear when he _wanted_ to be alone?

A quick search of the lair proved no more productive. Most of the rooms were blocked off anyways, either with a locked door or a slightly-concerning pile of rubble, and Donnie soon found himself exiting to the tunnels with nothing to show for it.

He navigated his way through the underground maze, the eerie emptiness adding to his quickly-growing paranoia. Could it be that they were all topside? But no, that didn’t explain the state of their home, and Pops wasn’t here either. It was just him- running through familiar tunnels with a probably-magic hatchet in hand. 

The dim light of the underground caverns gave way to the slightly brighter hues of the evening as Donnie crawled his way out into the alleyway. He glanced around, noting with a frown the state of disrepair that the streets were in. Banners that had once belonged to shops and businesses were tattered and painted over with thick black paint, an unfamiliar red insignia decorating their respective corners. All the windows were either closed or boarded up, and the familiar sound of downtown traffic was replaced by nothing but the soft hush of wind.

And then there were the posters. Covered in sharp hues of grey and black, they were scattered across buildings and windows, and though there was writing on most of them Donnie couldn’t quite make out what they said.

Taking a deep breath, Donnie steeled himself before tiptoeing his way up to a nearby telephone pole to get a closer look at one of the posters. It was admittedly stupid of him to be creeping around topside like this without a weapon, but it wasn’t like waiting around in an empty lair was going to do him any good.

“Remember, he is always watching,” He read under his breath, raising an eyebrow. “Well, that’s not ominous in the slightest.”

He scanned over the rest of the writing, every word seeming to convolute the situation he was in. “You must obey him, or you will pay. Our lord and savior... the Shredder.” His lips twisted into a frown, and he stepped back away from the telephone pole, his heart pounding lowly in his chest.

Before Donnie could contemplate why the fuck that deadly amalgamation of metal was on a poster, there was a loud swish from behind him. He spun around, watching as a figure jumped from a balcony to the street below, their identity obscured by shadows.

“Agh, geez, who are _you_?” He spun his hatchet so it was pointing at them, eyes narrowed. “Please tell me this is a dream,” He added under his breath.

They were silent for a moment, crouched in the shadows before a light shaking overtook their form. Donnie stepped back— were they crying?— and they straightened. They were laughing, eyes crinkled in a tired sort of mirth, but that realization took an immediate backseat as they moved forward into the light.

A jade-green turtle stood before him, a tattered orange mask loosely wrapped around his face. He was big, taller than Don by a good couple of inches and with the muscular frame to match. His plastron was covered with designs, almost like tattoos. Some were black-and-white lettering of familiar names and some were multicolored flowers, shades of red, blue, and purple. Golden spots decorated his shoulders but beneath them, his right arm was a mere stump— wrapped with a thick white bandage. 

Donnie stood stock still for a moment, brain reeling in surprise, before his brother’s name came tumbling out of his mouth. _“Mikey!”_

He rushed forward, caught halfway between relief and more confusion. Mikey was taller than him, first off, which could not be right in any universe whatsoever, but the biggest problem was the implications that came with the physical change. He was in the future— or, at the very least, some future that he was liking less with each passing second.

“Your arm, oh my god, you’re all old. Why are you— wait, no, never mind. I don’t want to know.” He paused, deliberately taking a breath so he didn’t start hyperventilating. 

His baby brother looked at him with a worryingly-serious expression; all scarred features and wide eyes, and Donnie’s rant died in his throat. He met Mikey’s gaze and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What happened, Mikey? What is this place?”

Mikey stayed silent for a moment, covering Don’s hand with his own. “…You’ve been gone for a while, Donnie.” The words, quiet and simple, echoed out into their desolate surroundings.

He opened his mouth to say something, more confused than ever, but Mikey cut him off by pointing to the rooftops. “We gotta get inside. C’mon, I’ll try to explain things, but you gotta do the same, ok?” Donnie pressed his lips together before nodding, following his little brother as he scaled the nearest apartment building.

Donnie followed Mikey through the streets, the ruined buildings and painted-over street signs making it difficult for Donnie to tell where they were headed. It didn’t even feel like home anymore, this city he’d grown up in. 

They drew to a halt at what Donnie assumed had once been a mall— the windows boarded and covered in those awful Shredder posters. It looked like a stable enough hideout, but he was still unnerved by the emptiness of the lair. Why had they left? The questions spun around his brain incessantly, and only the exhausted expression Mikey still wore was enough to stop him from demanding answers.

“The entrance is around the back,” Mikey said by way of explanation as they ran through the adjacent alleyway. “April should be there, so she’ll be able to get us in.” 

Donnie choked out a hoarse “Sure”, his usual deadpan remarks dying up in his throat. 

April’s familiar coils peeked out from behind the mall’s back door, and he saw her eyes go wide as she let them in. She was older, too, not much taller than she had been at 16 but more mature in the way she held herself. Donnie felt small as she watched him— studying, her gaze suspicious. 

He followed them through a set of doors until they reached what he assumed was a storage room. It was small, no windows to ease the cramped feeling it exuded, but the three of them were alone, and that was enough for Donnie right now.

“So.” April turned to him once the door was closed, her expression a little softer. “Let’s talk, yeah? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with questions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is!! a little shorter but i hope yall still like it alright ^^ sry for the cliffhanger but i Promise we'll get some explanation next time


End file.
